NASA’s private partner Intuitive Machines aimed for its spacecraft to land on a lunar plateau near the south pole.
Intuitive Machines’ NOVA-C lander, Athena, successfully landed on the moon on March 6, but no celebrations were heard from the NOVA Control flight control room in Houston.
During the post-landing press conference later that day, the company’s CEO, Steve Altemus, mentioned that the team is still working on determining the precise landing location and whether the craft is standing upright on the surface, with confirmation expected in the next couple of days.
Following a 600-second descent burn from orbit to a lunar plateau near the south pole called Mons Mouton, concerns arose as initial data indicated that the lander may be tilted or on its side.
Altemus and Nicky Fox, associate administrator of the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters, confirmed at a subsequent press conference that while the lander was in the general area, it might be outside of a 50-meter landing radius.
“We are uncertain about the exact location of the lander, but we do know that it is transmitting data, and we are eager to collaborate with Intuitive Machines to maximize the retrieval of science and technology data during its lunar mission,” Fox stated.
Confirmation of the touchdown was relayed from mission control around 12:35 p.m., with NASA confirming on social media hours later that the craft had landed on the moon at 12:30 p.m. ET.
Solar charging was confirmed, and communication was established with the lander, which followed commands to shut down non-essential systems to conserve energy.
Aboard Athena were tools such as a drill and spectrometer for lunar soil sampling, a lunar rover, and the first rocket-powered drone or “hopper” deployed to the moon. Named Grace, the hopper was expected to conduct flights to explore permanently shaded areas of the moon.
Despite initial plans to delay photo capture, priority was given to obtaining images to ensure the lander’s correct orientation for its 10-day mission.
Officials confirmed at the press conference that communication with onboard payloads was ongoing, but confirmation of Athena’s orientation and exact location was crucial for the successful operation of the hopper, rover, and drills.
As of the press conference, awaiting images from NASA’s lunar reconnaissance orbiter was necessary to gain a comprehensive view of Athena’s landing site on the moon.
“We are currently collecting and downloading photos, and we anticipate obtaining an aerial image from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera in the coming days,” Altemus explained.
The next pass of the orbiter was scheduled within the next day or two.
Intuitive Machines faced challenges during the landing, following a previous mission where its first lander, Odysseus, suffered a leg break upon descent. Despite potential issues with Athena’s landing position, Altemus affirmed the mission as a success.
The landing of Athena highlights NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, paving the way for future manned lunar missions and marking the second successful lunar landing by the United States in under a week.
Furthermore, Athena’s landing was the second lunar landing attempt in the same month, following Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost landing on the moon’s nearside on March 2.
Intuitive Machines’ landing zone was acknowledged to be more challenging than Firefly’s, placing greater demands on the crater tracking system due to unique lighting conditions.
The CLPS program aims to facilitate private lunar delivery services in preparation for sustained human presence on the moon and the development of a lunar economy.
While acknowledging potential failures, NASA has invested in CLPS contracts through 2028 to support American-designed lunar missions.
Intuitive Machines is scheduled to undertake a third mission by early 2026, involving another lander and the deployment of data relay satellites.
The CEO indicated that the timing of the next mission may be influenced by the readiness of the satellite for deployment alongside the upcoming lander.
